Putnam County Road Supervisor Randy Jones in the final week of a position he has held since 2010.
Jones said the transition to retirement next week will be a significant change after a career spanning some 40 years in road construction and maintenance. Jones said he has never been unemployed before.
“I’m going to retire and things are going to be a little slower and, I’m going to miss being out in the public every day and seeing the people I think will be a lot, of it,” Jones said.
Jones said he first took office on May 10, 2010, after being appointed to fulfill the term of the late Billy Joe Red Laim. Jones said his early tenure was immediately defined by natural disasters, including a major flood in May, 2010.
“We’ve had several disasters throughout my—when I first come aboard and a tornado and a flood or two and you know it—it was just a—a challenge there for a while,” Jones said.
Jones said the department focuses primarily on road maintenance rather than new construction or widening projects. Jones said while the county has experienced growth with new subdivisions, the department often faces financial limitations when residents request infrastructure upgrades.
“We don’t have enough money to upgrade every road that, that’s wanted,” Jones said. “We have a lot of roads that has more traffic that we have to maintain more often.”
Jones said the highway department staff consists of veteran employees, some of whom have served the county for 30 years. Jones said the team follows a regular routine during winter weather events to clear higher elevations such as Buck Mountain, Phifer Mountain, and areas around Monterey.
“I usually have the same teams on the truck so they—they got a area that they cover and they know where they’re going and—and that’s usually what we do in the—in the snows,” Jones said.
Jones said Rick Atkins will serve as the new road supervisor following the retirement. Jones said Atkins has served as the department foreman for 16 years and has a total of 38 years of experience with the Putnam County Highway Department.
“I think that I’m leaving the county in good hands,” Jones said. “I hope I have served them well and I think that he will continue to serve them well.”
Jones said he plans to spend his retirement relaxing with his wife, Jan, and potentially traveling. Jones said he will miss the daily routine of arriving at the office at 5:00am to coordinate the crews before they head out for the day.
“I would like to tell them I hope that I have been a good road supervisor,” Jones said. “I know I can’t help everybody, but we have tried to help everybody that we could and we have—and we—I want to thank them for my opportunity of being road supervisor for 16 years.”
